Motor vehicles have a vehicle body with a front-end structure and a rear-end structure, said vehicle body being exposed to the air flow when the motor vehicle is in motion. Said air flow exerts air resistance on the body, which air resistance is in part also responsible for the fuel consumption of the motor vehicle. The wheels, which are typically arranged in the wheel arches and which rotate when the motor vehicle is travelling, generate air turbulence laterally with respect to the wheel arches, which turbulence increases the air resistance, which in turn has an influence on fuel consumption.
FR 2 858 796 A1, which is incorporated by reference herein, has disclosed a front-end structure of a motor vehicle having an air inlet in the bumper, from which air inlet air is conducted into the wheel arch. In this way, it is the intention to reduce the swirling of the air by the wheel arranged in the wheel arch, which is intended to reduce fuel consumption.
EP 0 175 655 B1, which is incorporated by reference herein, has disclosed a front-end structure of a motor vehicle having an air inlet in the bumper, from which air inlet air is conducted partly to the breaks in the wheel arch and also partly to a cooler for engine cooling. The distribution of air to the wheel arch and to the cooler is fixedly defined by the flow cross sections and flow resistances of the respective flow ducts through which flow passes. A design of the flow ducts which is adapted to one specific operating situation has the effect that the air distribution is not optimally configured in other operating situations.